The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Travelers tourney highlights this week
We have once again reached one of the best weeks of the year in Middlesex County, Travelers Championship Week.
This year’s tournament is packed with an outstanding player field, which includes Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Marc Leishman, Patrick Reed, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Justin Thomas and 2016 champion Russell Knox, who will serve as guest speaker at Tuesday morning’s Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce Travelers Championship Member Breakfast Meeting at the Radisson Hotel in Cromwell.
Knox is ranked 39 in the Official World Golf Rankings and we look forward to welcoming him back to Middlesex County for this important event. The chamber’s Member Breakfast Meeting has become a key part of tournament week and we very much appreciate the longtime sponsorship of The Travelers Companies.
As I have repeatedly noted during the lead up to tournament week, the Travelers Championship is a major economic generator that fills our area hotels, restaurants and other businesses. This major PGA event not only attracts most of the best golfers in the world, but it also attracts huge crowds to Cromwell and generates millions of dollars for charity.
It is hard to believe, but this is now the 11th year that Travelers has served as title sponsor of the event. I would like to take a mo-
FROM PAGE 1 ment to once again thank Chief Executive Officer Alan Schnitzer, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Andy Bessette and the entire Travelers family for their strong and continued support.
We also have to recognize the year-round effort put forth by Tournament Director Nathan Grube and his team. Nathan has provided a countdown to the tournament at every chamber Member Breakfast Meeting in the past year, a countdown that has led to today.
I am honored to have been invited to once again participate in Monday’s opening ceremonies at the course, and I look forward to joining the huge crowds that will head out to the TPC throughout this exciting week. For more information, visit www.travelerschampionship.com.
We are very fortunate to have this major tournament in Middlesex County and in Connecticut, and I join everyone in our region who looks forward to a great week out at the TPC at River Highlands.
Tuesday also features the Middlesex County Spring Career Fair at the Radisson Hotel from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Over 50 companies from throughout the labor market area will be seeking people whose skills run from professional, technical, manufacturing and administrative. Attendees will be able to find all types of job opportunities, from entry level to highly skilled positions.
The unemployed, underemployed as well as individuals seeking new career opportunities are invited to come meet with prospective employers and receive advice from career counselors. Manufacturing, health care and temporary employment agencies are just a sampling of some of the industries that will be on hand.
Before the job fair, a special Meet and Greet will be held from 9:30-10:45 a.m. at the hotel. This gathering is designed to connect employers in the key fields of science, technology, engineering, math, advanced manufacturing, finance and health care to qualified job seekers that are interested in careers in those fields. To view a complete listing of companies participating, please visit www.ctjobfairs. com.
The chamber is proud to partner with the Connecticut Department of Labor and Workforce Alliance on these important workforce development initiatives. I want to take a moment to once again thank the Department of Labor, under the leadership of Commissioner Scott Jackson, and Workforce Alliance, under the leadership of President and CEO Bill Villano for not only their support of the Middlesex County Career Fair, but for their longtime support of workforce development in Middlesex County and throughout our state. We look forward to a productive day in Cromwell on Tuesday.
A busy Tuesday continues in the afternoon as chamber VP Jeff Pugliese and I will attend the Official Ground Breaking Ceremony for The Greater Middletown Military Museum at Veterans Memorial Park. The Greater Middletown Military Museum is an outstanding organization that is dedicated to preserving the rich military history that is connected to our city and the surrounding area.
The chamber was proud to support this initiative from the beginning, and Jeff and I both look forward to the event Tuesday. We will continue to support our veterans in a variety of important ways.
This week also features meetings of the chamber’s East Haddam & Haddam Division at the Gelston House on Thursday morning and the Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council Advisory Board on Friday morning at the chamber office.
Switching gears a bit, I want to take a moment to recap a major event that was held last week in Middletown.
Downtown was packed once again last Wednesday evening as the 20th Annual Cruise Night on Main, powered by NAPA, turned out to be a huge success. Almost 1000 cars, beautiful weather, outstanding vendors and a fun atmosphere attracted thousands of people to Main Street, the South Green and bordering streets.
I want to take a moment to once again thank the Cruise Night Planning Committee, our outstanding sponsors and supporters, the volunteers who worked hard all night, the chamber staff and everyone who contributed to another successful downtown event.
One of the real highlights of this major annual downtown event is the presentation of the Sponsors Awards. The Sponsor Awards for the 2017 Cruise Night on Main were as follows: The Best In Show Award, Powered by NAPA, was presented to Joe Lajoie of Broad Brook for his 1969 Orange Chevrolet C/20; Jackson Chevrolet Choice Award, presented by Jackson Chevrolet, was presented to Ed Makuck Northford for his 1956 Yellow & Black Chevrolet Belair Convertible; Main Drag Award, presented by Middletown Downtown Business District, was presented to Tony Della Camera of Northford for his 1956 Green & White Canadian Bolt Lucerne; Liberty’s Choice Award, presented by Liberty Bank, was presented to Jerry Augustine of Middletown for his 1953 M38A1 Green Jeep; Apple Rehab Choice Award, presented by Apple Rehab, was presented to Charles Flechner of Middletown for his 1955 Sky Haze Green Ford Thunderbird; AAA Diamond Award, presented by AAA Cromwell, was presented to Mark Hueffman of North Haven for his 1987 Black Buick Grand National; The Smokin’ Hot Award, presented by Servpro of Middletown/New Britain, was presented to Dan Bellini of Berlin for his 1957 Blue Chevrolet Belair; The Restored to Glory Award, presented by City Church, Middletown, was presented to Ronnie & Pat Dacurto of North Branford for their 1968 Blue Chevrolet Camaro; The Fat City Cycle Award, presented by Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, was presented to Sal Emanuele of Middletown for his 1965 Beige Chevrolet Nova SS, and the Mayor’s Choice Award, presented by Mayor Daniel Drew, was presented to Bob Gasparri of Waterbury for his 1957 Turquoise & White Chevrolet 210.
I congratulate all of the winners and thank them for coming to the event. We would be remiss if we did not also thank the city of Middletown for its strong and continued support of this, and, of all downtown events. The Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works Department, Parking Department and all other city personnel that supported the event were outstanding as usual.
Finally, I thank Mayor Dan Drew and the Middletown Common Council for recognizing the importance of bringing this event to the downtown area every year. The 20th Annual Cruise Night on Main is in the books and we are already looking forward to next year.
Before wrapping up for the week, I want to make a quick mention that I enjoyed the Catholic Charities Diocese of Norwich Middletown Behavioral Health Clinic Five Year Anniversary Open House last Thursday evening at its Broad Street location. The Catholic Charities Diocese of Norwich continues to be dedicated to meeting the social service needs of all people in its vast service area. I thank them for the invitation to the Open House and commend them on their enduring good work.